


choose me

by koolcatkenma



Series: tumblr requests [13]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Angst, Eventual Fluff, M/M, depression kinda not outright tho
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-23
Updated: 2019-11-23
Packaged: 2021-02-26 02:53:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,319
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21536275
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/koolcatkenma/pseuds/koolcatkenma
Summary: Tooru loves Hajime; it just took him too long to figure out. Now his friend has someone who isn't him. And he still loves him.
Relationships: Iwaizumi Hajime & Oikawa Tooru, Iwaizumi Hajime/Oikawa Tooru, Iwaizumi Hajime/Original Female Character(s)
Series: tumblr requests [13]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1357732
Comments: 1
Kudos: 15





	choose me

Thinking back, it must have started sometime in high school. But if Tooru sat down and really thought about it, his feelings had started developing much earlier. But he didn’t want to face that reality. Not now. Not ever.

Now, in his second year of university, Tooru was regretting every decision that had led him to his current situation. He was standing outside of the cafe the pair used to regular, picking up a late dinner after an especially successful practice. It hadn’t changed.

Inside was near empty, save for a few customers browsing the selection of pastries offered. Glancing at his watch, Tooru realized he was early. Taking a deep breath, the boy pushed open the door and headed to the counter to order.

Minutes later he was sitting in their usual seat in the corner, by the window. His coffee sat steaming, too hot to enjoy. His arms were crossed, eyes trained on the door. Any minute now, they would arrive. Hajime had never been one to be late. 

Sure enough, his long-time friend walked in just seconds later. The sight of him almost knocked the breath out of Tooru’s lungs. Hajime had always been attractive, but his second year of university was doing wonders for him. No longer a bench warmer but the university volleyball team’s vice-captain, he had filled out, even more so, muscles visible under the thin t-shirt he wore. His skin was tanned, shorts riding up to show off a slight tan line. He was taller somehow, or he stood straighter. In high school, he would keep his hair short and barely use any product. Now he had an undercut, the top of his head styled so it was almost windswept. He had stubble too; it was insanely hot.

When their eyes met, a smile lit up his face and he waved. Tooru almost returned the gesture, but his hand fell back into his lap as his eyes traveled to behind his friend. She was a college girl, petite in stature. She seemed shy, gripping the back of Hajime’s shirt, gaze locked on the man in front of her. She wore a light blue sundress, showing off slim arms and legs, devoid of moles or imperfections. Brown hair fell past her shoulders, curled ever so slightly. Tooru had never been more envious of someone he hadn’t even met.

Of course, he knew his friend had been chatting with a girl in his year; although they went to different schools, their friends had made it a point to keep Tooru in the loop. But Tooru had expected the relationship to go nowhere as every other did. It typically lasted a month before the girl, who would have been flirting with Hajime nonstop, gave up. No matter how book smart the student claimed to be, he lacked the social skills needed to recognize when someone actually liked him. Tooru knew that all too well. 

Mentally, he checked out as soon as the pair sat down across from him. He made sure to give the appropriate responses, ask reasonable questions, and smile. He learned little about the girl next to Hajime, except that they went to the same university and were studying totally different things. And that she was the exact opposite of himself.

**

Tooru stared at his phone, scrolling through the girl’s social media. Although they weren’t even officially dating, she had the audacity to post several pictures of Iwa-chan. The boy didn’t even have any social media. He wondered if Hajime knew there were pictures of him like this on the internet. They weren’t incriminating or bad; he was smiling so bright in all of them, never looking directly at the camera. He was so beautiful.

Speak of the devil, his phone went off with a ding. Through blurry vision, he saw that it was Hajime, thanking him for meeting up today. He also asked what Tooru thought of her, which was something he didn’t do with other girls. 

Not wanting to be mean but truthful, he sent out a blunt  _ ‘she’s nice. opposite of what i thought ur type was’ _ . He wanted to throw his phone at the wall.

Another ding.  _ ‘I missed you, ya know. We should meet up more often.’ _

_ ‘awe, iwa-chan missed me! what a sap’ _

_ ‘Shitty-kawa. I take it back.’ _

_ ‘mean!! _ ’

And it felt like old times. 

**

Tooru dreamt visions that felt too real the nights after he met that girl, his now unspoken nemesis. In every one, they were back in high school and Oikawa wasn’t such a coward. He confessed to Iwaizumi, then the dream would skip to them at the same university, sharing an off-campus apartment. There would be soft kisses and cuddles, time spent out on real dates; their team would go to nationals and win. 

Hajime would choose him.

He always woke up crying. Tooru loved Hajime, and Hajime didn’t even know.

Unconsciously, the student distanced himself from his friends outside his university. He started ignoring calls, replying late to texts, skipping out on monthly meetups with his old team. He deleted social media as to not be tempted to stalk that girl. That was probably the final red flag, alerting someone that something wasn’t right.

It had been three months since that day; volleyball was nearing the end of its official season, the qualifying rounds rapidly approaching. As starting setter, his already busy days got busier, practices became longer and more frequent, and finals loomed over him. He slept less and less, spent more nights on the court or in the library, and couldn’t remember when his last meal was if you asked him. But he was going to nationals if it killed him. 

Exhaustion pulled at his body, weighing him down. The dark circles under his eyes almost made it look like someone had clocked him. His movements outside of practice were sluggish; more than once did he dozed off during a lecture. Maybe if he had been more alert he could have avoided the way too familiar face standing outside his favorite study cafe. He could have turned around and headed to the library instead, or better yet his room. Anywhere but there.

When their eyes met, Tooru had half a mind to just turn and run. The other half, the sleep-deprived half, told him differently and won. His legs continued to take him towards his friend, his face staying neutral. He knew he looked like shit, but the look Hajime gave him when he was close enough made him feel worse.

“Iwa-chan! What are you doing here?” Tooru tried to keep his voice upbeat, pushing open the door to the slightly busy cafe. Glancing around, he saw his favorite booth was open and made a beeline to it, his friend following close behind.

“Oikawa, you have us all worried. You haven’t responded to my texts in weeks.”  _ Straight to the point, huh _ he thought, sighing. 

“Iwa-chan, as a fellow student you should understand! Finals and qualifiers are coming up soon~” Voice light, the boy took out his laptop and textbooks, eager to end the conversation.

Hajime took a deep breath, clearly trying to keep his frustration under control. Oikawa had no intention of telling his friend anything. But Iwaizumi wasn’t leaving without a truthful explanation. 

“You’re team secured the number one seed last week and finals aren’t for two more weeks. Tooru, what is wrong?” There was a real concern in his voice, his face pinched in worry. The boy probably didn’t even realize how much emotion he was letting slip out. Tooru was happy their booth was in a secluded corner because it all became too much. Tears welled in the corner of his eyes and threatened to spill over. He looked up at the boy he had loved for as long as he could remember and finally spoke.

“Hajime, I love you. I want you to choose me.”


End file.
